STEM bridge program aims to create synergies in STEM education by providing high-school students hands-on study experience with current university professors at local universitiesfor a consecutive 6 to 7 weeks STEM related researching and study program.

"[Science] is more than a school subject, or the periodic table, or the properties of waves. It is an approach to the world, a critical way to understand and explore and engage with the world, and then have the capacity to change that world..."

* President Barack Obama, March 23, 2015

What can CAST's STEM bridge do for you?

Organized by CAST-TX, the program is collectively led by 10 – 12 hosting professors, each professor will form a 4-5 students study group to research on a STEM related topic that has been or will be offered in the university classes.

Students will get great exposure to real research environment and being inspired for creative thinking.

6-7 weeks hands-on experience

Before the class starts, students will choose a research topic, and form a study group with other students in the program that share the similar interest.

Once the study group is formed, the group and together with the assigned professor will decide on the details of how the research will be conducted.

Students will be able to use the university classroom, research equipment, and labs under professors’ supervision.

Competition for Awards

STEM bridge Summer Camp program will host a final symposium for students to showcase their research result.

At the symposium, students will compete for CAST STAR (Science, Tech, Academic Researcher) Awards and the winner will receive STAR trophy.

Students who completed the program will also receive a certificate of completion issued by CAST-TX.

STEM Skills Development

By working with professors and researchers in the lab, students will develop a variety of skills that are essential for STEM students to succeed in collage, such as literature search, data collection, data analysis, design of experiments, technical writing, presentation, and problem-solving, etc.

Non-profit & for the future of our children

The hosting professors are all volunteering their time to sponsor CAST STEM bridge Summer Camp program. Each hosting professor will use their own resources and leverage their expertise to maximize the impact they can bring to the community. All CAST STEM bridge organizers and workers are all volunteers. We are here for the community and our children’s future.

Heat Transfer and Fluid Mechanics with Applications in Bioengineering, Health, and Energy Management

fatemeh@utdallas.edu

Announcement from STEM Summer Camp - Apr 3, 2020

Dear Students and Partners,

Our hearts are with people around the world who have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

CAST-STEM bridge Summer Camp has made the decision to do our part to help prevent the further spreading of this virus by cancelling 2020 summer camp. Our decision is aligned with guidelines from the University that the campus remains closed through out the summer of 2020, and professors continuing to work remotely.

This pandemic has affected everyone’s lives. We thank our professors, students, parents, volunteers, sponsors, and CAST committee members for their support.

We are honored to be part of your lives and support our community's education needs. We look forward to resuming this program again in 2021.

We wish you good health, now and in the future.

Best Regards,

Angela Chen

President, CAST-TX

2020 STEM Summer Camp Program Details - Cancelled

Registration Process:

Each applicant will choose 3 preferred professors. Each hosting professor will decide which students to accept.

Depending on the research project to be announced by the hosting professor, additional cost may occur based on the estimated cost of the materials that might be used for the project in the lab or on the equipment.

Important Dates:

The application start date is Monday, April 6th, 9:00 am

The applicant end date is Monday, April 13th, 5:00 pm

The acceptance notification date is Monday,April 20th

The accepted applicant needs to complete registration by April 27th

Program Orientation: Saturday, May 30th , 2:00 pm

The program start date is Monday,June 1st and end on Saturday, July 11th

The program fee: $800, including the following:

The program orientation and closing ceremony

The lab and equipment access

The weekly lunch gathering

The awards for STAR trophy winners and certificates

The student insurance

The program fee is nonrefundable after April 27th

Program Agenda:

Monday to Thursday*:

Study 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Lunch 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Study 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Friday:

Study 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Weekly gathering: 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm (Lunch is provided)

Closing Ceremony: Saturday, July 11th 9:00am – 2:00 pm

* Each study group’s schedule and study agenda is set by the group professor. The professor may conduct the class in the classroom, in the research lab, or visiting research related site.

Payment

$800 for 2020 STEM bridge Summer Camp

2019 STEM bridge Symposium: 20 High School Students Received CAST STAR Awards

July 13rd, 2019 - CAST-TX held the closing ceremony. 55 students have successfully completed their projects and attended the symposium.

Students presented their projects with 3 mins of video and 7 mins of presentation. One first prizes, two second prizes and three third prizes were awarded to the teams. The research accomplishments of the students were very impressive and some of research results in progress to be published in journal articles.

CAST-TX likes to thank all the hosting professors, graduate students, volunteers, students and their parents for collaborative efforts to make the 2019 STEM Bridge a success

FAQs

Q1: What is the daily schedule? It is full time or part time summer camp?

A: The daily schedule is very flexible. It will be discussed and decided between the hosting professor and the family together to work around each other's summer schedule. It can be full day or half day arrangement. As long as the total time put into the project is more than 100 hours in total, it will satisfy the time requirements.

Q2: What is the suitable grade for the student for this program?

A: We aim to support a wide range of high school students, from K9 to K12, meaning that students will become K10-K12 in the coming Fall 2020. We will ask the hosting professors to tailor the project goals and tasks to fit the student maturity levels.

Q3: What about student transportation for the camp?

A: Parents are required to provide student transportation. The daily schedule can be discussed with hosting professor to work around parents' schedule. For example, students can work for a couple of days at school and then work at home for the rest of the time.

Q4: How can this project connect with Science Fair competitions?

A: The project can be a basis for the student to prepare for Science Fair competition. The STEM bridge project can be continued after summer if the hosting professor agrees to support. Such arrangement needs to be discussed with the hosting professor. STEM bridge will provide related science fair information and schedule. For example, Fort Worth Regional Science and Engineering Fair has 17 categories to compete for middle school and high school students. Winners can advance to regional and national competition including prestigeous Intel international competition. More information about science fair is available at: www.fwrsef.org, dallassciencefair.org.